man doing pistol squat | pistol squat progression

Level Up to the Pistol Squat With These 4 Simple Tips

By Andrew Heffernan

Think you need big weights to build strong legs? Then you haven't tried the pistol squat.

A pistol squat is a single-leg squat in which your non-working leg extends out in front of you, toes pointed toward the sky. From this position, you lower yourself fully — until your calf touches your hamstring — and then return to the starting position.

It's a doozy.

Like the muscle-up and the one-arm push-up, the pistol squat is a bodyweight-only move that challenges even the strongest lifter. And — fair warning — it's not for everyone.

“The full pistol squat is a major challenge, and for many people can be a recipe for a knee injury," says Angelo Poli, ISSN and creator of the fitness app MetPro. “If you have great balance, great ankle mobility, and great knees, you can work up to it. But you can certainly build strong, great looking legs without it. So you have to decide if you're a good candidate for the pistol."

Boost energy, delay fatigue, and enhance strength with LADDER Pre-Workout.

.

How to Do the Pistol Squat

bec wilcock | pistol squat progression
  • Stand with your arms extended forward. Optional: Hold two light dumbbells in your hands.
  • Extend your left foot forward, toes pointing upward. (LADDER Athlete Bec Wilcock is pictured above grabbing her toes for another intensification of the move.)
  • Keeping your back flat, core engaged, and left foot elevated, bend your right knee, push your hips back, and slowly lower your body as far as possible.
  • Reverse the move and return to the starting position.
  • Repeat for reps and then perform the same number standing on your left foot.

Warming up for the pistol squat

“For most people, the pistol squat is primarily a challenge for balance and ankle mobility," says Poli. To ensure that your ankles aren't limiting your ability to perform the pistol squat, perform these two mobilization drills beforehand.

Upper calf stretch

  • Stand with your arms extended in front of you, with your palms braced against a wall or other sturdy object.
  • Step back about two feet with your right foot.
  • Keeping your right toes pointed forward, straighten your right leg fully, driving your right heel toward the floor. (You should feel a mild stretch in your right calf. If you don't, slide your right foot back farther and try again.)
  • Hold the stretched position, breathing deeply, for 45 to 60 seconds.
  • Switch legs and repeat.

Lower calf stretch

  • Again, stand with your arms extended in front of you, with your palms braced against a wall or other sturdy object.
  • Step back just one foot with your right foot, placing it flat on the floor with your toes pointed directly forward.
  • Bend you right knee, driving it towards the floor, until you feel a stretch in your lower calf and ankle.
  • Hold the stretch for 45 to 60 seconds.
  • Switch legs and repeat.

.

4-Step Pistol Squat Progression

Interested in progressing to this impressive bodyweight move? Follow our four-step process, below. Spend as long as you need to at each level, making sure you can perform at least 10 solid reps of each move before you move on to the next one.

Step 1: Rear-foot-elevated (Bulgarian) split squat

bulgarian split squat demo | pistol squat progression

There's no sense in squatting on one leg before you've mastered squatting on two. Preliminary moves that you'll need to master include the bodyweight squat, the Romanian deadlift, and the split squat.

Finally, you'll want to work up to perhaps the most challenging bilateral move, the rear-foot-elevated split squat. Here's how to do it:

  • Stand facing away from a knee-high bench or box at a distance of approximately two feet.
  • Keeping your hips square to the front, step your right foot back and place the top of it on the bench. This is your starting position.
  • With your torso upright, bend at your knees and hips, and slowly lower yourself until your right knee comes close to the floor. Your standing knee should track above your toes at the bottom of the movement. If it doesn't, you may need to adjust your placement.
  • Reverse the move and return to the starting position. Repeat for reps, then perform the same number of reps with your right foot forward.
  • Too easy? Perform the move holding a pair of medium-to-heavy dumbbells.

Step 2: Lateral step-ups

lateral step up demo | pistol squat progression

Next step: learning to lower and lift your bodyweight using just one leg at a time. The step-up allows you to practice this without having to extend your free leg forward, as you do in the pistol squat.

  • Stand to the right of a bench or sturdy box holding a pair of light dumbbells or weighted plate in your hands. (Use weights even if you're a beginner: in this exercise, they make balancing easier.)
  • Place your left foot on the box. This is your starting position.
  • Keeping your chest up, your gaze forward, and your arms extended in front of you, push through your left foot and straighten your left knee until standing.
  • Maintaining the same posture, bend your left knee and slowly lower your right foot all the way to the floor to return softly to the starting position. Next level: Tap only the heel of your right foot on the floor.
  • Repeat for reps, then perform the same number of reps on the other leg.

Step 3: One-leg bench squat

one leg bench squat demo | pistol squat progression

Mastered the step-up? This next move helps you practice holding your non-working leg forward as you squat.

  • Stand facing away from a box or bench that's about the height of your knee, holding two light dumbbells by your sides or one dumbbell with both hands in front of your chest. (As in the previous move, use weights even if you're a beginner.)
  • Extend your left foot forward, toes pointing towards the ceiling, and extend your arms in front of you.
  • Keeping your left foot raised, bend your right knee, slowly lowering yourself until you're sitting on the bench.
  • Reverse the move and return to the starting position.
  • Repeat for reps and then perform the same number standing on your left foot.
  • Too hard? Use a higher bench and work up to a lower one over time. Too easy? Use a lower bench — or stand on a weight plate or aerobic step — to increase the depth of your squat.

Step 4: Assisted pistol squat

assisted pistol squat demo | pistol squat progression

From the one-leg bench squat, it's a simple leap to the assisted pistol squat — which is the full move performed with help from a suspension training device (or similar apparatus).

  • Stand holding the handles of a suspension trainer, facing toward the anchor point. (With your arms extended forward, the straps of the suspension trainer should be slightly slack.)
  • Extend your left foot forward, toes pointing towards the ceiling.
  • Keeping your back flat, core engaged, and left foot elevated, bend your right knee, push your hips back, and slowly lower your body as far as possible, using the suspension trainer for balance or assistance as needed.
  • Reverse the move and return to the starting position.
  • Repeat for reps and then perform the same number standing on your left foot.

Finally, you're ready for the real deal: the unassisted pistol squat. Take your time — and listen to your body! If you ever feel joint pain, particularly in your knees, as you perform the move, back off and return to one of the previous steps.

.

Pistol Squat Benefits

If you're up for the challenge, there are several good reasons to work pistol squats into your training.

1. Sharpens athletic skills

“Learning to move your entire bodyweight through a full range of motion with the muscles of just one leg improves balance, stability, coordination, and proprioception — the ability to sense where you are in space — all foundational skills for athletes," Poli says.

2. Doesn't require weight to get results

Most leg exercises demand significant amounts of external load — a weighted barbell or, at the very least, a heavy dumbbell. For all but the most elite lifters, pistols require at most a light pair of dumbbells. And you're far less likely to strain your lower back with a couple of five-pound dumbbells than you are with a 200-pound barbell on your back.

3. Builds unilateral strength

Finally, working on one leg forces your weaker leg — everyone has one — to do as much work as your stronger one, which, over time, evens out strength and muscle imbalances between your two sides, increasing whole-body athleticism and resilience.

NOW CHECK THESE OUT

man doing muscle up | muscle up progression
Muscle-Up Progression: A Guide to Conquering This Challenging Move
man setting up for one arm push up | how to do a one arm push up
How to Master the One-Arm Push-Up
man doing bench press and deadlift | two a day workouts
Are Your Two-a-Day Workouts Helping or Hurting Your Goals?
man and woman doing box jumps | how to jump higher
Want to Jump Higher? Follow This Guide